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Monday, May 26, 2014

Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) –
Early this morning the Holy Father visited the Esplanade of the
Mosques, or Temple Mount. An artificial esplanade, trapezoid in
shape, it occupies a sixth of the surface area of the Old City. This
area is significant for the three monotheistic religions, and is
thrice holy: for Jews, it is the place where Abraham would have
sacrificed Isaac, as well as the site of the Temple of Solomon; for
Muslims, it is the third destination for pilgrims after Mecca and
Medina; and for Christians, it is the place of Christ's prophecy of
the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. In the area there are two
of most important Muslim shrines, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of
the Rock.

The Pope's car entered by the al-Asbat
gate and arrived at the entrance of the Dome of the Rock, where he
was received by the Great Mufti Muhammad Ahmad Husayn, supreme
judicial-religious authority of Jerusalem and the Arab Muslim people
in Palestine, and the director-general of the council of the “Waqf”
(Islamic religious assets). After a brief visit he was accompanied to
the Al-Kubbah Al-Nahawiyya building, where he was awaited by the high
representatives of the Islamic community.

“Following in the footsteps of my
predecessors, and in particular the historic visit of Pope Paul VI
fifty years ago, the first visit of a Pope to the Holy Land, I have
greatly desired to come as a pilgrim to the places which witnessed
the earthly presence of Jesus Christ”, said the Pope. But my
pilgrimage would not be complete if it did not also include a meeting
with the people and the communities who live in this Land. I am
particularly happy, therefore, to be with you, dear Muslim faithful,
brothers. Francis recalled Abraham, “who lived as a pilgrim in
these lands. Muslims, Christians and Jews see in him, albeit in
different ways, a father in faith and a great example to be imitated.
He became a pilgrim, leaving his own people and his own house in
order to embark on that spiritual adventure to which God called him”.

The Pope went on to describe a pilgrim
as, like Abraham, “a person who makes himself poor and sets forth
on a journey. Pilgrims set out intently toward a great and longed-for
destination, and they live in the hope of a promise received. This
was how Abraham lived, and this should be our spiritual attitude. We
can never think ourselves self-sufficient, masters of our own lives.
We cannot be content with remaining withdrawn, secure in our
convictions. Before the mystery of God we are all poor. We realise
that we must constantly be prepared to go out from ourselves, docile
to God’s call and open to the future that he wishes to create for
us.

“In our earthly pilgrimage we are not
alone. We cross paths with other faithful; at times we share with
them a stretch of the road and at other times we experience with them
a moment of rest which refreshes us. Such is our meeting today, for
which I am particularly grateful. It is a welcome and shared moment
of rest, made possible by your hospitality, on the pilgrimage of our
life and that of our communities. We are experiencing a fraternal
dialogue and exchange which are able to restore us and offer us new
strength to confront the common challenges before us”.

“Nor can we forget that the
pilgrimage of Abraham was also a summons to righteousness”, he
continued. “God wanted him to witness his way of acting and to
imitate him. We too wish to witness to God’s working in the world,
and so, precisely in this meeting, we hear deep within us his summons
to work for peace and justice, to implore these gifts in prayer and
to learn from on high mercy, magnanimity and compassion”.

In conclusion, the Pope launched an
appeal to “all communities who look to Abraham: may we respect and
love one another as brothers and sisters! May we learn to understand
the sufferings of others! May no one abuse the name of God through
violence! May we work together for justice and peace! Salaam!”